Sunday, January 18, 2009

Ecuadorian conclusion

Sorry about the tardiness of this post, I never had time when I had internet access in Ecuador in the last two weeks, and since I've gotten back I've been busy as well!

The last two weeks ended up being spent in Otavalo, to the detriment of my birding. Although it's a wonderful city with the best native market I've ever seen, there isn't really much bird diversity. However, there are some nearby lagoons that ALMOST made it worthwhile from a birding perspective haha.

Most of the time there we spent in town, with a few little excursions, most notably to the Cascada de Peguche and Lago San Pablo. Cascada de Peguche is this very cool waterfall about 15 minutes away from Otavalo, with nice woods on the fairly short path to it. Also, good birds, including Rufous-chested Tanager, Black-backed Grosbeak, and a nice Rose-breasted Grosbeak, a reminder of home! Lago San Pablo is an absolutely beautiful spot, and great birds. The number of waterfowl and wading birds is superb. We had about 250 Yellow-billed Pintail, and almost 150 Andean (Slate-colored) Coot. The scenery is spectacular, with hills rising up all around you, lovely patchwork farmland, and two 19,000'+ volcanoes guarding the valley. It is a place not to be missed. You can also see a bird there with one of the best names ever, that bird being the Subtropical Doradito.

The highlight by far of the last couple weeks of my time in Ecuador was going to Antisana Ecological Reserve. It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life, and the birds, although not diverse, were breathtaking as well. Staggering numbers of Carunculated Caracaras (207) and Andean Gulls (228) highlighted the day, as well as 4 Black-faced Ibis, one of the only two places where they occur in Ecuador, an adult Andean Condor, and other great paramo specialties with such vivid names as Streak-backed Canastero, Stout-billed Cinclodes, and Plumbeous Sierra-Finch. Sadly Janet wasnt able to join us for the whole time, she started having altitude troubles when we got up near 14,000 feet, and so we had to take her down to one of the guard stations, where she befriended the guard and his dog during the time we spent up on the grasslands :D

The numbers of the trip ended up being 720 total species, of which 593 were lifers.

Undoubtedly the best experience of my life, and I cannot wait to return. My goal is to make it back sometime this summer, or perhaps winter at the latest, and to bird the southern highlands of Loja, and get down to the coast near Guayaquil as well. I would say to anyone who asked that Ecuador is my favorite place I have ever been, and I would recommend it without reserve. It's cheap, the people are unbelievably nice, it seemed just as safe as most places, and the birds and wildlife are seemingly unparalleled.

My final batch of pictures can be seen at:http://picasaweb.google.com/goshawk227/EcuadorNovember152008January152009.